Double update? Whaaaat? :D This originally was to be the beginning of the next chapter, but my wonderful beta suggested breaking it up. I couldn't wait so here you go! It's a short little flashback. I hope you enjoy =]

Suggested listening is Lovely by Billie Eilish

Hermione traipsed through the winding halls of the castle, the Astronomy Tower her destination. The sun had just set, and she was hoping to observe the sky and catch some planetary alignments to bolster her Astronomy essay due next week.

The boys were out enjoying the milder-than-usual weather. They'd attempted to drag her out with them for the whole day, but had only succeeded in distracting her from her studies for a short while. The instant one of them mentioned a broom and a pickup game with the Hufflepuffs, she couldn't have left fast enough.

Her stroll was light. There was no rush, and Hermione had to admit that, while she adored her rowdy boys, they really did have a way of making her feel like she had to hurry up and finish her boring work so they could all have fun. It was refreshing to go at her own pace.

The witch was deep in her own head, mentally mapping out where and how she planned to focus her attention on the sky tonight. Did she want to use the magical telescopes in the Tower? There were a few that were charmed to help the user lock onto important star clusters or visible planets. Or should she pull out her homemade Muggle telescope, kept and cherished since she was young?

Lost in thought-puzzling over what charm specifically allowed the device to lock onto things, and could she do that to something as small as a star frame- Hermione's feet led her automatically up the Tower's steps. She'd been up here so many times, it was like second nature.

As she neared the long stairway's midpoint, a solid, ordered list began to form of her academic attack plan for the night. A plan that was interrupted when she slammed into the wall.

Or, what she initially believed to be a wall.

Walls didn't usually wobble when walked into. Luckily, she'd been trailing her fingers up the rail, and they tightened reflexively to balance herself. The person in front of her did the same, preventing themselves from falling backward at the collision.

The glacial storm of Draco Malfoy's piercing eyes bore into her when she looked up.

A jolt sparked her veins, jarring her from her intense contemplations and hurtling her into the present moment. Her breath caught, her hackles rose prematurely, and she prepared herself for the inevitable venomous words that would spill from his mouth like the snake he was.

They didn't come.

Malfoy looked like hell. He had for a while now, but she hadn't been close enough to notice how bad it actually was.

His generally haughty aura and arrogant, holier-than-thou sneer were still present.

It took him a moment to pull it up, though. And it seemed half-hearted. As though he were doing it for appearance's sake, not because he truly had the energy or desire to do so. His spine didn't straighten as much as it normally would have to tower over her and assert dominance, perhaps because he was closer and higher up on the steps and therefore even higher than the near extra head he already had on her. His shoulders tensed, as if in defense, but he seemed unwilling to spew nastiness at her like he usually would.

As much as it pained her to admit, his features were still inherently handsome. (She did have eyeballs, after all.) As the year had progressed, even from afar she could see how the skin began to pull over and sink into his sharp cheekbones. His eyes, while still flaring with intensity, were surrounded by deep purple rings. He radiated exhaustion.

While he was usually lithe, the wrists she saw peeking out from his robes seemed unnaturally thin. She'd noticed he wasn't on the Quidditch team this year; maybe that was a contributing factor to his bodily changes.

Hermione told herself the reason she was noticing any of this was simply because it was all so obvious. Anyone who paid attention to detail could see it. And with Harry, a bit obsessively, watching the blond this year, she had paid extra attention as well.

Malfoy had apparently decided that their uneasy silence had gone on long enough. When Hermione didn't open her mouth to fight and just blinked at him instead, his chin lifted a bit in a phantom attempt of his usual attitude. He moved around her without a word and continued his descent of the stairs.

That was strange. Usually, Malfoy took every opportunity to tear her down.

A wild thought erupted into her mind. It made no sense, and part of her wanted to physically shake it out and laugh at herself.

The other part, the sliver of her that was unbearably curious about what could potentially subdue that normally pompous git, couldn't help but acknowledge that there was a person in obvious distress right in front of her. It won out.

In a burst of bravery, she decided that it was the right thing to do. And even if he made her regret it, she'd still have done it and stayed true to herself.

Hermione argued with herself silently for only a few seconds more. Her feet had not moved an inch since they bumped into each other. He'd only made it a few steps past her before she whirled.

She caught up quickly, reaching out and settling her hand in the crook of his left elbow.

Malfoy froze, turning in her direction slowly.

She was a step above him, now, and even so barely eye to eye with him.

He had a quiet anxiousness to him. Like a cornered animal, hesitant to move too quickly for fear of retaliation but mentally racing to escape. His skittish gaze flitted up to meet her steady, imploring one.

Neither moved an inch, caught up again in the oddness of how close they were, how they peered into the other without any aggression.

Hermione fought the urge to clear her throat and poured as much sincerity into her words as possible. "Are you alright, Malfoy?"

Those mercurial orbs shone up at her, widening for a fraction of a second as he instinctively laid his hand over hers. She'd half expected him to throw her off in disgust and make a dramatic show of it. Or viciously squeeze her fingers for daring to touch him with her supposedly filthy hands.

Instead, cool fingers lightly rested atop her own. Malfoy looked deep into her eyes, disbelieving and shocked. His forehead furrowed, a piece of platinum hair falling forward to contrast sharply against the darker hair of his brow. He seemed to unconsciously lean slightly towards her like a magnet naturally pulled into its opposing force.

For a split second, she thought she saw something akin to helplessness simmer back at her as he stared. Vulnerability shone through with such intensity it nearly stole Hermione's breath as his fingers tightened over hers. She glimpsed a deep sorrow within, swirling in the unexpected depth of his eyes.

Then his eyes hardened. Turned to steel as they quickly narrowed and shut down. His upper lip curled, and his hand shoved hers away. The moment shattered.

Hermione hadn't realized how liquid his eyes had been until he'd shut back down.

"Fuck off, Mudblood." Malfoy snarled, before turning his back to her and stomping away.

Thank you to everyone who has given supportive and kind words! I squeal every time I get a comment or kudos! It makes me want to update faster so thank you for inspiring me when I'm dragging! =]

Next update will be on 5/17. Until then my lovelies!